Food that heals you

Food that heals you

In a word – probiotics. Not actually food items in-and-of-themselves, but they are found in certain foods, and in the healthy gut of humans, cockroaches and termites. Yes, the lowly and oft maligned cockroach relies on healthy microorganisms too. They, the microorganisms, are the oldest living things on the planet at 3.5 billion years old, plus or minus a half billion years.

Probiotics are alive, live inside you, and help you – a lot. Essentially they compete with pathogenic microbes for nutrients which are infectious pollutants called xenobiotics, that competition means that the bad guys, team xenobiotics, are starved to death – a good thing. In addition, the probiotics act as an effective barrier to an unwanted biological invasion in the body by producing mucus, which traps pathogens and escorts them to the back exit… They also help with the proper contraction and relaxation of the intestines which keeps things moving smoothly… Thus, in essence, probiotics help regulate the immune system. If your system is low there’s nothing like a good Yogurt or a buttermilk to kick-start, and maintain your system. Not only does buttermilk maintain healthy gut functioning, recent research, “suggest that fermented milk supplementation improves glucose metabolism and alleviates the effects of muscle soreness after high-intensity exercise, possibly associated with the regulation of antioxidant capacity.” So after a good workout your muscles will feel a lot better sooner if you have a big glass of the ‘fermented’ liquid.

Probiotics will fight those disease-causing pathogens, among them – bowel cancer. In addition to providing a barrier to entry of pathogenic organisms by secreting a mucus layer in the intestines, (as well as they eyes, nose and saliva), it traps the pathogens in the body, preventing any further disease-causing activity. Probiotics are referred to as, a first line “quick fix” that will modify the immune system to our benefit, healing us from within. So, a Yogurt a day helps to keep bad health away, or a pickle, or Sauerkraut or Kefer, or delicious buttermilk or just ‘google it’ to find your favourite probiotic containing food, and – Cheers mate, to your health!